Yay for the first episode in weeks that I’ve enjoyed all the way through. This episode has a lot of the cute, light, funny moments that made early Myung-wol the Spy so enjoyable for me, and lightened up on the gloom and angst. The stakes are still high, but we can get that across without all that denial and frustration, and that makes for a much more watchable hour. Phew!

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EPISODE 16 RECAP

Kang-woo says he can’t live without Myung-wol, so she should turn herself in, marry him, and live here. Ryu steps out of hiding and holds Kang-woo at gunpoint, telling him to leave while he has the chance. Kang-woo: “Can’t you see I’m proposing?” Ryu: “Can’t you see I’ve got a gun to your head?” One point, Ryu.

Kang-woo declares that he won’t give Myung-wol up, and Ryu lets him leave. He tells Myung-wol that since he held up his part of the bargain not to kill Kang-woo, it’s time for her to return home.

Broody time. The three leads separate in order to mope, with Kang-woo heading back to his house, Myung-wol sitting in her empty studio apartment, and Ryu in…an abandoned warehouse? Ha, why is that so funny?

Spy Mom and Dad come home from their failed attempt to head North. Ok-soon is crankier than Hee-bok, and asks suspiciously if perhaps he’s happy to stay. They find that Dae-kang has taken advantage of their planned absence to play landlord and lie about his supposed wealth. He brags to idol starlet Kyung-joo that he doesn’t have to work, but it’s character-building and all that. Hee-bok ruins his illusion and sends the huffy idol stalking out.

Chairman Joo orders his minion to locate Ryu and the books, thinking that if he gets them back first, he can regain the upper hand with Kang-woo. He hasn’t quite unraveled the secrets contained therein, and Ryu busily gets to work assembling the books to decode them. What he comes up with are coordinates for several locations on the Korean peninsula.

Ryu arranges to meet Myung-wol to divulge what he’s learned, but he gets there moments too late; Kang-woo comes roaring up in his car and takes Myung-wol away, reminding her that he won’t give her up.

Learning about the reason for their aborted trip home, Ok-soon and Hee-bok wonder what would have driven Myung-wol to let Kang-woo go. Ok-soon wonders if this means she loves Kang-woo, and Hee-bok sighs that it sure is complicated, with Ryu loving Myung-wol and all. She’s startled to hear it, but he points out that it’s as obvious as day to anybody who so much as looks at them.

Kang-woo takes Myung-wol to observe the way ordinary people live, appealing to the part of her that wishes for this life for herself. He asks if she wants to continue living her strictly regimented life: “Don’t you want to learn how people love each other?”

As they watch couples and families out on dates, Myung-wol wistfully imagines the two of them engaging in everyday activities like jogging together and playing with children. He takes out a ring and proposes, then takes her back home with the request to think it over.

Ryu waits till Myung-wol is gone, then approaches Kang-woo angrily to ask what the hell he’s doing, insisting that he leave her alone. Kang-woo replies that he’s encouraging Myung-wol to choose herself, and challenges Ryu to think of her happiness.

Ryu drinks, then shows up at Myung-wol’s door, this time to do the talking. He opens up about his own childhood, and how he was saved from starvation by a man who took him in. That man had a pretty daughter who used to say she’d be a special agent just like Dad. He’d liked her but couldn’t say so, thinking it wasn’t appropriate behavior toward his savior. Then when the man died, he’d asked Ryu to look after his child and he’d decided that protecting her was his duty — “I thought that was my way of loving her.”

She’s stunned speechless. He asks, “Return to our country, and be with me.”

Is it bad of me that I want her to say yes? It’s just a shame this conversation didn’t happen earlier, because that would’ve totally ramped up this love triangle for me. Placed here, it comes too late to interfere with her feelings for Kang-woo, and even if she did choose Ryu, it would always be linked with a sense of duty and family, rather than love. Poor, hot Ryu.

Myung-wol shows up at Kang-woo’s house to return the ring. He urges her to reconsider, but she says there are too many walls between them. Aside from their cultural differences, she can’t betray her comrades or her country, and has decided to return home. She leaves the house in tears.

Chairman Joo finds out where Ryu is squatting and sends his minions to retrieve the books. In-ah overhears this conversation and frets, wondering if she should do anything, and ends up sending Ryu a text from an unknown number warning him to escape. Thus when the minions arrive, they find the rundown building empty.

In-ah hears this and sigh with relief, and it’s only now that she realizes she might have feelings for Ryu. Well, she could never be accused of being knife-sharp, could she? Maybe sharp like a spoon.

That night, Myung-wol meets Ryu on the roof of their headquarters, and while he’s content to pass, she stops him by taking his hand. Ackkk, I cringe for Ryu, because surely that’ll get his hopes up when we know she’ll have to choose Kang-woo in the end.

She tells him she’ll prepare to head North, and in response he grasps her hand more tightly and just barely lets out a smile of relief.

Ryu convenes the team to plan their exit, and this time there’s the added worry that Kang-woo might turn them in to the authorities. True, Myung-wol’s involvement acts as a sort of insurance since he won’t want to harm her, but they plan on moving quickly all the same, and paring down their luggage to deflect suspicion.

Ryu can’t hide his happiness, and his wide grin both warms my heart and hurts it. That night when he drops her off at her apartment, he thanks Myung-wol for her decision, watching with loving eyes as she heads inside…where Kang-woo waits.

Kang-woo insists that Myung-wol be honest about her true feelings, knowing that she’s forcing this separation. She bursts out that this is the only choice she can make, which Ryu overhears as he arrives. Sigh. It seems that a whole lotta angsty moments could be avoided if she just started taking herself home. Just sayin’…

Dae-kang finds a flyer touting awareness for spy and terrorist activity, and tells Hee-bok that the reward money for turning in a spy has recently increased. He supposes that if he were a spy, he’d turn himself in and live off the stipend they’d provide, then turn in his former colleagues for the reward. And that lack of fidelity is why we should all be glad he’s a lowly road manager instead.

But suggestible Hee-bok entertains this fantasy, and imagines what he’d do if he became an overnight millionaire. His first fantasy scenario (stuffing himself on delicacies) gets panned for being too weak, and Dae-kang also decries his second, which involves Kang-woo being ogled by hotties at a bar. Dae-kang: “What does Kang-woo have to do with this?” Hee-bok: “If I had a billion won, do you think I’d keep living with this face?” HAHA. Oh, I wish this drama had kept up this sense of humor throughout. The next time he sees Ok-soon, he pictures her as (literal) riches.

With bag packed on departure day, Myung-wol thinks over Kang-woo’s words about being honest with herself. Ryu fetches her, and they leave just as Kang-woo arrives at her empty apartment.

The spies head to the harbor, but find their exit thwarted by guard presence at the docks, who’ve been tipped off by Chairman Joo. Spotted, they scatter in two teams and hide from the guards who scour the pier.

Ryu acts as diversion to give Myung-wol the chance to run back to their boat, but she’s intercepted by Kang-woo, who asks, “Where do you think you’re going, dummy? You can’t go anywhere now.” He hugs her, and she cries.

Ryu doubles back after ditching the guards, just in time for his heart to go breaky. *craaaaack* He thinks over Kang-woo’s words about wanting Myung-wol to be happy above all else.

Thus, another escape attempt is stymied. The spies (minus Myung-wol) return to headquarters, worrying that they’ve hit a dead end. Ok-soon asks if they’ve been abandoned by their country, and Ryu tells the other two that he’ll leave them to decide their own futures, saying that right now his comrades are more important than his country. He, however, will return to the North — without Myung-wol. He’s decided that he’s the only one who needs to go back. Awww.

Ryu finds Myung-wol to assure her that everything is fine. Acting as though he expects her to return to the North on their next attempt in another week, he asks for her to spare tomorrow for him. He cuts her off before she can say anything, perhaps suspecting that she’s going to tell him she’s changed her mind, and asks that she save that for a future date.

Kang-woo confronts Chairman Joo, angry that he intervened at the harbor. Driven by impatient greed, the chairman is dying to get his hands on those books and orders Kang-woo to bring them to him immediately.

Ryu takes Myung-wol on a date, requesting that she follow his lead today. He takes her to a mountain stream, fishing with boyish enjoyment and grinning widely, which just kills me. As they sit down to eat their catch, she tells him that she’d never seen him so smiley before, having previously thought him scary.

He explains that his sternness with her was because he’d always wished for her to live a normal life, not dangerously as an agent. He’d imagined that she’d marry a man, have children, and be loved: “And I wished that would be with me.”

He asks for a souvenir photo, and to get him to smile wider, she tickles him. Oh, why does this make me so sad? Maybe it’s better after all that this episode didn’t come earlier, because then my heart would’ve had to break for yet another poor, unloved second lead and his unfulfilled romance.

He takes her home that night, except he pulls up to Kang-woo’s house instead of hers and tells her, “Today, I was truly happy. But more than anything, I wish for you to be happy. I thought I could make you happy, but I don’t think I can.”

She realizes what he means and starts to protest, eyes filling with tears, but he slaps on a happy face and assures her that he has the books to ensure his safety. “So now, seek your own happiness.” And why couldn’t this be our main couple again? Oh right, I guess she loves someone or something. Sigh.

Overwhelmed at his sacrifice, Myung-wol hugs Ryu and thanks him. He holds back his pain and puts on a brave face until she leaves the car. He drives away with tears running down his face, watching Myung-wol throw herself into Kang-woo’s waiting arms in the rearview mirror.

With that relationship back on track, news of Kang-woo’s impending wedding hits the media. The spies worry that this puts too much attention on Myung-wol, and Ryu says that’s why he’ll have to return and handle their superiors.

In-ah shocks them all by arriving unannounced at spy central, and takes Ryu with her to a bar. She says that she’s letting go of her feelings for Kang-woo, basically setting the stage to pursue a relationship with Ryu, except that he misses all her signs. Heh.

He thanks her for her warning text, and adds that he knows she’s soft-hearted on the inside. Citing drunkenness and dizziness, In-ah hitches a piggyback ride with Ryu, vastly exaggerating her condition so she can stay close. Ha. For once, I like this girl. She suggests prolonging the night with some coffee, but Ryu declines and notices that she seems sober now and bids her good night.

Our main couple is happy once again, and this time when Kang-woo suggests turning herself in after their wedding, she agrees. Kang-woo shares his fantasy of married life, which consists of the mundane daily joys of waking up alongside a wife who makes breakfast and sees him out the door, alongside their son. He likes that idea, and suggests having a whole brood of kids — say, ten or more? — which makes her hiccup nervously. Ha.

But if there’s a dark cloud hanging over his head, it’s his last-ditch partnership with Chairman Joo, who warns that if Kang-woo doesn’t deliver him the books by tomorrow, he’s taking the story of Myung-wol’s true identity to the press.

Kang-woo goes to Ryu to ask for the books, saying that he’s worried about Myung-wol. Ryu tells him he’ll take care of it, and advises him to focus on keeping her happy. Ryu declines Kang-woo’s gratitude, saying that thanks aren’t quite appropriate because he doesn’t want her hurt, either. A bit sadly, he offers his congratulations on their wedding.

Ryu walks right into the Joo mansion to hand over the books to the chairman, telling him not to lay a finger on Myung-wol. But before he relinquishes the books, he has one additional condition to ask of Chairman Joo: to find Ryu a safe flight to the North, since Joo has interfered with his exit route.

In-ah eavesdrops, wondering what all this talk about the north means. Two plus two, girl, two plus two…

As Ryu leaves, we see that he hadn’t quite handed over his only card, because before giving the physical books up, he’d cracked the code and recorded the information on a data drive.

Wedding day. Myung-wol in her wedding dress literally has Kang-woo gaping at her with slack jaw.

Ryu is at the airport about to catch his flight when he receives an alarming phone call, and it sends him racing out of the airport and for a taxi. He charges into the wedding venue and pushes pasts security, just as we see what has him in such a state:

While the happy couple poses for photographs, a sniper takes aim from a nearby building, trying to get a clear shot of Myung-wol.

He fires, and in the split-second it takes the bullet to travel, Kang-woo senses that something’s wrong and leaps in front of her. The bullet lands in his back, and he collapses.

COMMENTS

A note: Myung-wol the Spy will be airing both of its remaining two episodes tomorrow. This comes as a result of its extension to 18 episodes, and then the whole Han Ye-seul kerfuffle that delayed one broadcast. Since there’ll be two hours to cover, we’ll do our best to have recaps out for 17 and 18 in a timely manner, just in case you were wondering what the plan was!

The ending of the episode’s a little City Hunter for my tastes, not that that’s the only drama to have ever employed this I’ll-take-a-bullet-for-you maneuver. It’s the most recent, though, and let’s just say that comparing this drama to that one doesn’t do Myung-wol any favors. That aside, though, we can choose to look favorably on the appearance of the sniper, since all series long we’ve been told these spies are in mortal danger, only to have that claim supported by nothing in the plot. So if Myung-wol’s defection really does get her into some danger, I welcome the plot complications that brings up. I can’t help but wish they’d done it sooner, though, since I can’t get too worried about characters being thrust into mortal peril when I know they’re also getting their happy ending tomorrow.

Speaking of things that could have come earlier, I’m a little bummed that they waited so long to factor in the Ryu loveline, because now it’s not so much a loveline as it is a pityline. I sort of understand why they would want to keep his confession to Myung-wol till later (to shape Myung-wol’s decision for going, and then staying), but I would have much preferred this angle to have been played earlier, if only for the fact that it’s so much more compelling than anything else we’ve seen in recent episodes.

I really liked Myung-wol’s reaction to both Ryu’s confession and his decision to let her go, because you could see that she does have a lot of love for him, even if it’s not the kind of love he has for her. I could believe that she would have returned with him, and even maybe married him and lived in a state of semi-melancholy semi-contentment, if he hadn’t made that decision for her. On that score it’s a little irritating that she’s not the one making the decisions while the men push and pull here about, but in this case the emotional reactions made up for that. If Ryu had just been more of a romantic foil earlier…before she’d fallen totally in love with Kang-woo…. sigh. The what-ifs about this drama, they kill me.

oh man…so the extension did happen? I thought , with some relief, that its finished by ep 16… The storyline has been running on dregs and not as enjoyable as the earlier eps.

Maybe In-ah will defect to the North with Ryu lol… She seemed quite popular before in the South, though its waning now, perhaps she can find renewed popularity in the north. Also, she gets hottie Ryu! heheh…

that would be a great ending! For most of the series, i hated In-ah with a passion and was planning to bury the writers alive if they set In-ah with Ryu…but I’ve started to like her these past few episodes and hope that Ryu will find love after Myung-wol gets with Kang-woo.

I’ve stopped watching this show since a couple episodes back. Not saying that I’m not going to watch it, but going by my new rule of thumb, i’ll watch the last 10 mins of the last episode to see if the show is worth me watching it in it’s entirety. We all remember “Lie to Me.”

Same here…d show has kinda lost it! I stopped watching it long time back. Infact I think the recaps are interesting than the show 😛 But I ve to say ‘Lie to Me’ was better than this one, amean atleast the OTP was pretty awesome and they had loads of cute scenes to make up for the bad story!

awww!! the ending of ep. 16 was so unexpected – wow ! my mouth still open – can’t wait for tomorrow . Anyway , when Kang Woo tell Myung wol of his dream of their future together – how she cooks – sending him off to work with a kiss and a loving hug from their son – the lime green jacket get all my attention – got to fire the show’s stylist . lol

Hahahaha… so true, so true. I did find your recap of his storyline sweet (note that I am only paying attention to your recaps and not the actual drama). It sounded like a good episode–too bad it came so late in the game. As always, thanks for the recap!

Thanks for the recap! I know Kang-woo is the one who got shot here (I’m pretty sure he’ll live), but my heart can’t help but cry from Ryu! Now that they have upped the danger, I’m afraid Ryu may get hurt or die!

Anyone else disgruntled about Kang-woo’s dream marriage where the wife makes him breakfast and sees him out the door? I mean I have great respect for housewife-moms, but for a dude to actively put me into the role of housewife pisses me off a bit. What? Couldn’t he dream of making his wife breakfast or just eating together and walking out the door together to go to their respective jobs? I’m just saying. Whatever Kangwoo. I still like Ryu over you at this point.

I agree wholeheartedly. But did anyone notice Ryu’s whole: “That’s because I’ve always thought it was too dangerous for you and THE OTHER FEMALE comrades. I wanted you to settle down and get married and have kids etc.” I was just like, NO! Ryu! You had just won me over! What is UP with the male characters in this show!?

Although I know it’s not possible, maybe the series will go Athena on our ass. You know how Kim So Yeon’s family was killed, maybe Myung-wol will have a killing spree with the North. Although again, it would be highly unlikely. It’s just an awesome thought to see her as the butt-kicking, revengeful spy.

Ani, Answerer of Questions, so tell me, are they married or not? I don’t see any vows being recited or cake being cut, just photo taking. Help me, O Great One, I’m confused. This show confuses me….only Kang Woo makes sense with his cool shades and cool strut…kang wooooooooooooooooo

…and have you noticed how LOW Kang Woo sits in the driver’s seat? I guess it is to look cool, too, but it is sometimes funny. As for confusion, truly. I just call it a farce and do like a lot of us and rely on the recaps! LOL Thank goodness I am enjoying Scent of a Woman.

‘Heart surgery didn’t stop Dokko Jin’
Ani: U cant possibly compare Kang Woo to ‘THE DOKKO JIN’!
Kang woo is a normal human being, Dokko Jin on the other hand is a Special Person amean he is from another planet. Dokko Jin does MInd COntrol and he’s got his own live recharger!

“The ending of the episode’s a little City Hunter for my tastes, not that that’s the only drama to have ever employed this I’ll-take-a-bullet-for-you maneuver. It’s the most recent, though”

It’s funny, because just last week, a similar cliff-hanger ended Episode 13 of The Princess’s Man, lol. Only, in that case, it was an arrow, not a bullet. And that drama has been toted a tragedy since the beginning, so it didn’t feel out of place in the slightest.

I absolutely adore In Ah. She’s a character you’d love to hate but you love her anyway.

Everytime she raises her voice, I imagine fireworks firing off into the mid-air. I loved that scene in Singapore. hahahah

Anyway, at some point I do agree regarding this episode should’ve happened maybe a few episodes before. That or if they extended at least another two more episodes. With that said, I have no problem with Myung Wol ending up with Kang Woo.

I never thought she saw anything in Choi Ryu anyway. In fact, I liked Choi Ryu & In Ah pairing more–they’re so unmatched that it may just work. hahah

You & me both and I always thought they had great chemistry since they ran into each other in Singapore! Ever since them, I’ve been awaiting for them to get together. After watching the end of episode 18, I guess I’m content but I would SOOo watch a sequel with these two!

finally… something worth while… this show had gotten REALLY boring for a while and nothing interesting was happening. Thank god somebody gets shot finally. Took for ever. Now let’s go on to actual important part of the plot.

Sadly, I stopped watching this drama due to the recent issues that tarnished the professionalism of Han Ye Seul. But after reading the recent episodes’ recaps, I’d like to reconsider it again. Thanks dramabeans!

By the way, I was convinced by the wide-grin smiles of Choi Ryu. Poor him, he needs a warm hugs!

Is it me or Kang Woo losses his attractiveness in the recent episodes?

I demand for another set of drama with Choi ryu and Han Ye Seul as a lead actors. Same what happened in You’re Beautiful. While it was airing, many watchers would like to see Park Shin hye with Jung Yong hwa together as both had a good chemistry in that said drama. Later on, they were paired in Heartstrings that satisfy the viewers a lot though the plot and ratings were not as good compared to the former series.

OMG ep 17 and 18 tomorrow? I’m not sure there’ll be anything left of my heart after this. It’s shattered so many times for Ryu. Sigh. I’ll have to say though that as much as I loved this series initially, I’m glad it’s ending now as it’s become a bit too gloomy for me. Also it feels like we’ve been going in circles! What a 180 from the 1st 10 eps or so.

And is it wrong to hope that In A doesn’t end up with Ryu? Cos erm, Ryu’s mine. :p

well I guess the extension happened because it was already factored into the actor’s contract but when they sell the show, the more eps leads to more revenue. So they must as well do it since Japan has confirmed the order.

Yeah the Ryu love line shd hv come earlier, they are so sweet. I genuinely think HYS has chemistry with both male leads.

ugh, i actually cried watching the part when MW and Ryu were in the car and by the time Ryu drove off i was BAWLING and i was watching it raw! which equals to me just staring at the chiseled planes of his face while he pours his heart out to MW lol.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I WANT KW TO DIE. or if he doesn’t die, somehow get amnesia and forget MW! 🙂 usually in shows, even though i support the second lead (this ALWAYS happens, which makes me lose my patience in K-dramas, CAN A GIRL GET A LIL SATISFACTION FOR ONCE???!!!!) i still feel torn at times because both the second lead and the lead males are perfect for the girl. however, in Spy MW, i positively dislike KW. he’s immature, needy, a diva and is just… dare i say it… annoying!

i actually quite liked MW and KW together during ep 12 or so, but after that ep when KW got drunk consistently and started getting on my nerves, Ryu’s the guy for me! c’mon, he’s SO FREAKIN’ HOT. smiling or scowling, the guy’s practically a Greek God!!!! and when MW and Ryu were on the date, damn it they were so cute and my heart just shattered for Ryu…

KW, please die. PD, do read these comments! it’s obvious that nearly everyone’s on the MW-Ryu ship! MAKE A GIRL HAPPY!

I am currently speechless about this drama… which, I can tell you, is not to be taken lightly! I really do not have an idea how to respond… because how can that one-hell-of-a cliff hanger in episode 10 dwindle to this OTT run up to the ending.

Plus, having been following Scent of a Woman, in which the OTP and many of the side characters have acted their socks off (and LDW raising his post-army acting cred but showing some seriously timely and believable microexpressions)… SMW just seems so non-sensical and poorly acted.

Is it time to jump up and yell at the writers/ PD/ Director yet?! Because I’ve seen both Eric and Lee Jin-wook act better in past dramas, so it ain’t them… (Nothing against Han Ye-seul, just not seen any of her past projects)!!

I’ve noticed the energy is lagging. Eric looks rung out. Big black bags under his eyes that make up is not hiding well. Poor script and direction. How many times doRyu and Kang Wo grab each other by the lapels? How many times do they use the same gags throughout … spy parents were the best diversion and maybe they might pull this together before the end 🙂 the sister flunky and secretary flunky are wasted effort and tiring.

But! I like the show, it has been entertaining… but great work? no. I thought it would be better. And I do not think its from the actors.

Thank you for the recap. I love the ‘editorial’ comments about 2+2, sharp like a spoon, etc.

I wished they had continued the zaniness and comedy of this drama. It seem like, around ep. 4, this drama had an identity melt-down, which is when they started giving more emphasis to the books and especially Chairman Joo. Way too much screen time spent on this character. BTW, he and his goons make me think of “Fearless Leader, with Boris and Natasha”. Equal competency between the two groups.

As for Ryu and Myung Wol, I think Myung Wol loved him waaay back when. I remember thinking Myung Wol was wistful when she explained to Spy Parents that Ryu didn’t like her. And, love that is not reciprocated eventually fades and die.

As for those ancient books, they should have disintegrated by now from being tossed back and forth like ‘hot potatoes’. Yeah, and I still say that the ‘treasure’ is the recipe for making ddobokki or something, which was no longer relevant in the 20th c., let alone the 21st c. (Industrialization make the ‘treasure’ obsolete’.)

I still like my ending better:
Here’s my solution: Based on the fact that both the North and Chairman Joo want those darn books, Ryu should offer the North a deal to trade the books in exchange for their freedom. However, Ryu makes the same deal with Chairman Joo. He’ll trade the books for their freedom. :phew:

THEN, he throws Chairman Joo and the books into a crate and sends it North. 😀

Voila! Everybody gets what they want. The North gets the books plus an added bonus of a new comrade, i.e. Chairman Joo. Chairman Joo gets what he wants, i.e. the books. Minor detail being that he has to be in the North, in order to have the books. But, that’s okay because if he had stayed in the South, he would have been in prison for killing KW’s father, anyway. After all, there’s only a slight difference being in prison and being in a restricted society. 😛

And, everybody else is safe and sound, in the South, living life as usual.
The End! :w00t: